


We're In The Play

by casstayinmyass



Category: Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: 1776 The Musical, 1776 references, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Crushes, Fluff, Hamilton References, High School, Kissing, Linguini and Groffsauce, M/M, Musical References, Period Costumes, Theatre, theatre nerds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 17:09:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9559001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casstayinmyass/pseuds/casstayinmyass
Summary: Rodgers High does a production of 1776, and the feelings Lin and Jon harbor for each other come to a boil.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really into 1776 right now and have been listening to the soundtrack on repeat, so this was born! Enjoy!

Lin stared out at the audience from the left wing, holding in his squeal as Rodgers High School's principal, Mr. Chernow, introduced the musical to the audience of both parents and theatre school scouts.

"Look at all the people, ahh!" Lin shrieked, bouncing around.

"I'm nervous," Jonathan Groff admitted, fixing his brown coat. Tommy Kail, the relative most popular kid currently in the wing who had stepped up to choreograph, patted him on the back.

"You'll be great. You make an awesome Jefferson, Groff!"

"Yeah, I can't wait to see it!" Alex Lacamoire suddenly beamed, "Especially 'Yours, Yours, Yours'! Pippa's going to be so great as Martha, and Renee is the perfect Abigail, everybody here just has such a nice voice!" Everyone turned to look at the gushing music student.  

"You're supposed to be _conducting_ that song, along with all the others," Tommy pointed out, "Why aren't you in the pit, dude?"

Lac nodded thoughtfully, scratching a hand through his curls. "Fair question." With that, he scurried off through the back door down to the audience, and Tommy looked between Lin and Jon.

"Alright, you two. I'll be back here once we start if you need a line- break a leg!"

Lin and Jon grinned at each other, turning to watch Tommy go out on stage and take a bow at his own introductions. That left them alone in the left wing, since everyone else was either backstage or in the opposite wing. Lin shifted, and Jonathan looked down so that the shorter of the two couldn't see his face heating up.

"So," Lin coughed a little, making sure his taped on mic wasn't live before speaking, "You excited?"

"Yeah," Jon breathed, smiling back at his friend, "We've been rehearsing it for so long, I can't believe we're actually performing it."

"I can't believe we're in the play," Lin marvelled, shaking his head.

"I mean, I feel like we take it more seriously than anyone else," Jon whispered.

"Right?! I totally get that vibe too- I mean, I actually want to do this when we graduate!"

"So do I!"

"They're gonna love you out there," Lin told him, hoping the blush on his cheeks wouldn't show up under the back stage bluelight, "No joke, you're gonna get like, a thousand offers to a thousand of the best schools."

"Yeah?" John murmured, "You think so?"

"You're an amazing actor, Groffsauce," Lin replied with a dismissive wave, "I have no doubt you'll skyrocket to fame. If not with your acting, then your boyish good looks and charm." He bit his lip; he had meant that to sound like teasing, not as if he had just opened up his heart to his best friend. He had been harbouring a crush on Jonathan since the beginning of junior year, when he had seen how well Jon could sing. It helped, of course, that he was pretty much the hottest guy in school, a fact that many could agree on (depending on who you asked- the school population was divided between Jonathan and Daveed for heartthrob number one. Difference was, one was taken and one was single).

Daveed, at the moment, was in the right wing laying against his boyfriend Oak, (who looked so hot in his old age makeup and Ben Franklin coat) on his phone while they awaited curtain. The tall captain of the track team was playing the part of Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, one of the main antagonists in this musical, and he and Lin really had a lot of fun playing off each other in all of their congressional scuffle scenes. Lin, of course, had been cast as John Adams, the star of this musical- he was always cast as the leads in the school plays and musicals, renowned as the biggest thespian they had. Jonathan came in close second in his passion for the theatre arts, which was another thing that drew Lin to the blonde... Jon was the Cosette to his Marius, the Gavroche to his bullet, the phantom to his Christine...

"Huh?" Jon mumbled, laughing a little. Lin froze.

"What... did you hear of that?"

"You were babbling about Gavroche and bullets?" Jon quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh," Lin sniffed, "Right. Particularly irrelevant, but I'll never not be salty about that poor kid."

 _Whew. Dodged that one._ Lin quickly changed the subject.

"They totally should have given us the day off today to rehearse."

"I know!" Jonathan was thankful for something to rant about, "How are we expected to do math when we're getting into character?! I'm pretty sure Thomas Jefferson didn't even like math."

"John Adams probably hated it. It totally went against my method, we should write a strongly worded letter to the principal about this."

"Totally."

Jon grinned, watching his shorter friend fix his cravat. He thought Lin was sexy, funny, brilliant- the guy could write, act, sing... it was ridiculous how talented he was. They had been friends for four years, frequently going over to each other's houses to play video games and sing at the top of their lungs the most obscure of all musicals in their basements. Jonathan, of course, wished they were more than friends, but he would never say anything about it- he was pretty sure Lin and Pippa liked each other, and he didn't want to get in the way of that.

Lin just looked so perfect in that black coat, ruffles protruding from his sleeves and neck, like he was born to be the obnoxious founder he was playing; of course, he fit into every role he was cast in like a peg. Jon got a lot of time during the congress scenes to sit back and watch Lin perform, as Jefferson didn't say much in those scenes, and the way the shorter boy jumped around the stage with such conviction was the highlight of Jon's rehearsals.

Now, it was time for the real thing.

"I think my mom brought her camcorder," Lin hissed to Jon. Jon's eyes widened.

"Oh good, my Amish aunt in Philadelphia really wanted to see this, but she couldn't make it." Despite his grin, he couldn't fight the nerves he felt, but it wasn't because of stage fright. It was a particularly close scene Jefferson had with Adams that he kept playing out in his mind as far more sexual than it ought to be.

"Mics are on, guys," Jas told them with a thumbs up, and Anthony faded in the lights for them as he pulled his girlfriend to sit on his lap.

"Please, give it up- for the company of 1776!" Mr. Chernow bowed off stage, taking a seat in the front row, and Lin hurried out onto the stage to his place by the big prop bell, resting against the beam pensively. As the curtain went up, Thayne's voice as the janitor could be heard echoing over the sound system:

"Mr. Adams! Mr. Adams?! There you are! Didn't you hear me callin', Mr. Adams?"

The first half went by very well- they got lots of laughs from the audience, especially during The Lees of Old Virginia, which Rua slayed. Leslie was also an amazing Dickinson, the main rival for Lin's Adams.

As the Declaration was discussed, the scene Jonathan had been fearing fast approached.

"Seconded and passed! Mr. Jefferson, you will serve on the Declaration committee," Chris Jackson as John Hancock knocked his wooden hammer down on the desk, and Jonathan let out an aggrieved sigh.

"Sir, I haven't seen my wife in six months!"

"Three weeks, gentlemen, no more to write it!"

The committee gathered upstage left by the staircase set to begin 'But, Mr. Adams.'  As Jefferson's turn to refuse writing the declaration approached, Jonathan felt the butterflies, and prayed he wouldn't do anything stupid in front of an audience. Lin walked up the steps to him, and sang his part.

_"Mr. Jefferson, dear Mr. Jefferson-"_

_"Mr. Adams, leave me alone!"_ Jon shouted, turning away. Lin got very close- closer than the blocking demanded- and began his persuasion. When Jon turned back around, Lin was right there, close to his face... was he doing it on purpose?

 _"You write better than any member of this congress, even me,"_ he said, reaching out to brush an unnecessary touch down Jon's arm.

 _"But I_ burn _Mr. A,"_ Jonathan said passionately, and he wasn't lying. Neither was Lin when he came back with,

_"So do I, Mr. J!"_

The tension between them grew as Jon's blocking actually required him to get physical with Lin.

 _"Mr. Adams..."_ he growled, blocking Lin's way down the stairs with a hand to his chest, _"Damn you, Mr. Adams!"_ By now, their noses were almost brushing, and though the actors currently on stage were wondering what was going on, the audience simply saw it as heated anger. _"You're obnoxious and disliked, that cannot be denied..."_ Jon almost forgot his next line as Lin's eyes flickered down to his lips, those deep brown eyes sultry and far too close for Jon not to want to kiss him. _"I..."_

"Once again you stand between..." Tommy whispered from off-stage, and Jonathan shook himself back into the role, singing,

 _"Once again you stand between me and my lovely bride..."_ Lin swallowed, watching Jonathan finally rip himself away and cross the stairs. _"Oh, Mr. Adams, you're driving me to homicide!"_

As Oak, Sydney, and Ephraim echoed the word homicide in baritone,  Lin made sure to continue his stare all the way as Jon walked down the stairs.

When intermission came, Lin completely avoided Jon, the Puerto Rican spending his time wondering if he had ruined everything with his friend.

_He was so close oh my god why was he so close and he looked like he was kind of into it does this mean something does this mean he likes me and wants to go out with me and kiss me and sleep with me oh my god oh my god he's so cute he is so god damn cute especially in his Jefferson costume ahhhhhhhhh I hope I didn't scare him off shit I'm such a dumbass I should never have left my house today_

Lin's stream of consciousness inner monologue served as the only thing the star of the show heard as he stared at his reflection intensely in the bathroom, with what he called his '24601' glare. Meanwhile in the greenroom, Jonathan had laid out across the counter, eating carrots from the veggies and dip plate. Leslie came backstage, and grabbed a piece of cheese from a nearby snack plate.

"You're doing great," he commented, and Groff sighed.

"Thanks, Les. You too." Daveed suddenly came back in, eating an apple. 

"Hey Groff, what's up with Lin? You two got pretty close in But, Mr. Adams, now he's looking around for you like a lost puppy."

"He is?" Jon asked, getting up and fiddling with his prop cane.

"Well, he was... before he ducked into the washroom, looking like he was gonna throw up."

Jon hurried past him and out to the halls, but by the time he returned with no sign of Lin, it was places again for the second act.

This act went even better- nobody messed up on their lines, Daveed got an ovation after Molasses to Rum, people were dabbing at their eyes during Renee and Lin's duet where John asks his wife for advice, and everyone cheered at the end when Pennsylvania signed for Independence. They took their bows, and the actors filed backstage. Jon picked up Pippa, swinging his Martha Jefferson around and congratulating her. Lin avoided eye contact with Jon as they passed each other, but the blonde wasn't having it.

"Lin," Jonathan whispered, and pulled the shorter man aside. Lin looked a little disconcerted, but Jonathan grabbed his wrist, smiling assuredly as they made their way to the empty greenroom. "You killed it."

"Oh, geez... thanks, Groff," Lin huffed a cute little laugh that made Jon's heart ache, "I appreciate it. I forgot a few lines during The Egg, but hopefully nobody noticed."

"Nobody noticed," Jon assured, "Oak kinda covered both our asses in that song, 'cause I forgot I was supposed to say dove- I agreed with your bird one line too soon." The two giggled at a sentence nobody outside the theatre would get, and Lin blinked away.

"My... cousin brought cookies... for the after party," he breathed bashfully, "We should go get some before Thayne... eats them all..." He hadn't realized he had pressed himself back against a wall, and Jon had clearly taken advantage of the situation. The tables thereby turned, Jon putting a hand beside Lin's head and licking his lips.

"Cookies from your cousin, huh? How many family members did you bring?"

Lin gulped, watching Jon's pink lips part every time he spoke. "E-Eleven," he whispered, "My dad got really excited and invited my whole family from all over America and Puerto Rico." Jon smiled, and Lin's hands began to roam down his shoulders, but the blonde paused.

"Aren't you going to take Pippa out?" Lin looked honestly bewildered by this question.

"What?!"

"I saw you at her locker the other day," Jonathan mumbled, "You looked really into her... I don't know."

"No! No, she's like a sister to me, fuck. I'm just an affectionate guy, you know this- I french kissed Leslie at Jas and Ant's house party last month, and that boy is as straight as they come."

Jon let out a relieved sigh, and leaned back in. "Right, okay then... can I meet your mom?" he murmured.

"You've already met my mom," Lin reminded him, eyes wide and lost in Jon's, "A billion times, she drives you to rehearsals with me..."

"No," Jon smiled, barely ghosting his lips by Lin's cheek to whisper in his ear, "Meet her as your boyfriend. Ceremoniously."

"Oh," Lin squeaked, nodding. "Wow. You... you wanna be my boyfriend?"

Jon's voice lost the sensual edge, and be backed away a little. "I understand if you don't like me like that. Like, I know I've been to your house a hundred times and I know everything about you, but if you're straight, I'm really sorry for misinterpreting things, and-"

"Hey," Lin whispered, and leaned forward to plant a small, chaste kiss to Jonathan's lips. "I think you're pretty cute, Groffsauce." They kissed again, this time deeper. Lin's tongue found its way between Jon's lips, and Jon happily parted them, moaning ever so slightly. When they pulled away, Jon, while simultaneously trying not to die, thought out a characteristically witty answer to Lin's praise.

"Is that so, Mr. Adams?"

"It is so, Mr. Jefferson," Lin replied, linking his arms behind Jon's head, "Now, I know a way we can fix that... _burning_ problem of yours..."

"Lin," Jonathan gasped, and just as the two pressed back against the wall, the door to the greenroom slammed open.

"Congrats, queens, congra-tu-fucking-lations on that flawless debut!" Andrew Chapelle shouted, "There are attractive men and women in suits waiting for y'all outside the aud, I'm assuming it has something to do with scholarships! _Julliard was asking for Pippa-_ we in the big league now, babies." He and Greg Haney both came waltzing into the room- they were the musical's understudies (that never, unfortunately, got used).

"Now, we all ready for a turnt after party?" Greg took an opening night, duck lips selfie with his friend, then both looked up to see Jon and Lin staring at them awkwardly. "Oh, now..."

"Oh, shit. We just walked in on a little somethin' something'," Andrew shook his head, "Let's go Greg, let's leave them to their post-show stress-relief."

"Lord knows I could use some."

"Touché, honey."

The two performers watched the understudies close the door again, and Lin let his laughter out, smashing his face against Jon's chest. Jon shook with laughter as well, holding Lin against him and hugging. The two stayed like that for a while, until Lin pulled back to press a kiss to Jon's hand.  

"Let's go steal some cookies before Thayne goes into a diabetic coma."

"Wait..." Jon bit his lip, pulling him back, "I want you to myself for a little while."

"Okay," Lin giggled, and kissed him again.

To this day, Lin-Manuel remembers the opening night of his high school's 1776, and the magical events afterward- he frequently tells the press that story, if they ask. He especially loves remembering it when he watches his boyfriend from backstage perform as King George in the musical he wrote, with all of his high school friends he cast alongside him.


End file.
